Thank you all for your honesty and advice, and above all the care you put into each knowing that I don't have any connections there. I don't know a soul who's selling land privately, just what I've seen on the web. Sure, I've been told by a few CC hustlers that they can "hook me up" with a great price, but I'm no fool --- I'd rather go straight ahead and pay that little extra to avoid legal snags. Although I'm sure there are people selling their lots who don't have sketchy titles or liens or whatnot. I just have no way of weeding through to find them (nor do I know of any).
At it's heart, the purchase is an investment, but eventually an investment so I can be there amongst you folks. I'm not buying to flip property or anything, but I sure can't build at the moment either, so the land will sit for a few years while I get that plan together (and save).
Dane, Ron, everyone else, thank you again! I'll keep looking. Can I ask what the lagoon to the west is like? Low-laying land prone to flooding? Higher-than-typical bug issues? Anything else that stands out I should consider there?